May 30, 2009
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Vanderbilt’s Rita Jorgensen’s strong season came to an end Saturday after she finished in ninth place in the 1500-meter final at the second day of the Mideast Regional in Louisville. Jorgensen’s 1500 time of 4:30.52 was one place off from placing and four spots away from qualifying for next month’s NCAA Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
“Today’s race was in very windy conditions, causing the race to be tactical,” distance coach Steve Keith said. “Rita started out slow with 2:30 through the first 800 meters but she responded with a couple of nice moves to get up with the front of the race but didn’t quite have that last gear to finish it off. She competed very well and she should be proud of her efforts,” Keith said.
A day after running her second best 1500 meter run of her career, Jorgensen, along with the 12 other competitors had to run in stiff winds at Cardinal Park. The race started out at slower pace than the prelims on Friday but Jorgensen closed the race in a strong fashion, running a blistering 2:17 in the event’s final 800 meters, but in the end came up just short of advancing to Fayetteville in two weeks.
The Mideast Regional marks the end of the season for the Vanderbilt track and field team. The Commodores will return a majority of the 2009 team for next year.
Final Vanderbilt Results
1500 Meter Run – 9. Rita Jorgensen, 4:30.52
